


Following The Leader (Wherever They May Go)

by Aibohp



Series: Things Are Getting Weird [6]
Category: Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty
Genre: Fluff, Friendship, Gen, filler chapter, quiet adventures, this is really just pointless fluff-stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-25 06:25:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6184156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aibohp/pseuds/Aibohp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Follows <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/6156961">Hit Me With Your Best Shot</a></p><p>Just something cute to move things along. </p><p>The Morty and the Twins run around the woods.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Following The Leader (Wherever They May Go)

**Author's Note:**

> nothing special here

Rick still hadn’t returned by the time breakfast had been finished and the teens ventured out into the woods. This time, it was simply a hike out to the abandoned mines to show Morty the dinosaurs trapped inside. Mabel had switched out the clothes she fell asleep in for something more adventure ready while her twin meticulously put together backpacks for the three of them. Half the things in them they probably wouldn’t need but Dipper was nothing if not comfortable in being over-prepared. He was sitting on the porch steps, a pack between his legs as he checked it over one last time, when Mabel came flying out of the house. 

“Are you ready guys,” she shouted, planting her hands on her twin’s shoulders and then leap-frogging over his head. She landed with a cloud of dust rising up around her ankles and bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet. Morty followed her out at a far more subdued pace. 

“Are you guys sure w-we should be doing this? I mean dinosaurs in tree sap? Sounds like an adventure where someone ends up getting eaten,” he chuckled, the sound thin and reedy with nervousness. Despite his attempts at humor and the numerous adventures he’d been on with Rick there was still a little flicker of trepidation in his chest. 

Dipper stood up and handed Morty a pack and then heaved one toward his sister, who triumphantly threw it onto her back after she caught it. Her twin rolled his eyes as she stuck her tongue out at him and blew a raspberry. 

“Don’t worry, man. It’s totally cool, we’ll be fine,” he assured, clapping his hand down on the older boy’s shoulder. Mabel nodded eagerly, waiting for the boys to come down off the porch before she bounded up to them. 

“Yeah! We’ll be fiiiine,” she giggled, shoving herself between the boys and wrapping an arm around both their necks, forcing them to lean down to her level. Dipper didn’t suffer much, being almost the same height as his twin, Morty was another story. He was around a head taller than either of them, and ended up having to lean into the girl holding him captive to keep her from dragging him to the ground. “ADVENTURE SELFIE,” she cried, waving her phone in front of Dipper’s face. 

When had she gotten that out? 

Personally, Dipper thought the whole Adventure Selfies thing was more than a bit silly, nevertheless, he took his sister’s phone and snapped a picture of the three of them. Much to both boy’s relief she unleashed them to reclaim her phone and study their captured faces. Morty’s awkward smile was staring back at her along with the small quirk of Dipper’s mouth, and her own dazzling grin. Mabel’s manic expression melted into something more satisfied and soft. As she pocketed the phone her twin thought to himself that is goofy as Adventure Selfies were, he would miss them if they ever stopped. 

“Alright! Now let’s goooo,” she yelled, dashing off into the woods. 

“Was that even the right direction,” Morty asked, rubbing his neck where Mabel’s arm had been wound around it. 

“Nah. Come on,” Dipper said, taking Morty off in a slightly different direction. “She’ll find us in like five minutes when she realizes she’s alone,” he assured, fishing his map out of one of his pack’s side pockets and unfolding it in front of him. Even if they’d been there often enough to know the way by heart, he still liked to be able to see the route ahead. 

It was easy to fall into a companionable silence as they walked.The trees loomed up over them like ancient guardians, casting the path they forged in dappled shadows. It was little more than a deer-trail compared to the roads that used to lead to the mines but were now being swallowed back up by the forest. There was nothing but the occasional sound of birds and the rustling of tree limbs, high above them. Aside from the distant and recognizably delighted screams coming from Mabel it wa blissfully quiet. Just because she was out of sight didn’t mean she was out of mind. Even the nervous energy that seemed to pour off Morty seemed to come to a jittery end. 

“W..wow. You know, this is nice,” Morty said quietly, making Dipper look up from his map and smile. “Nothing dangerous. Just a nice walk in th-the woods. No near death experiences or horrible surprises!” 

No sooner had he spoken than Mabel came barreling out from between two of the trees and leapt onto the taller teen’s back. Morty started to wail, joining the girl who was already screaming, as he spun around in circles, trying to keep his balance. Mabel’s screeches faded into a cackle as she used one hand on Morty’s shoulder to keep herself balanced as she tightened her legs around his middle to keep herself aloft. 

“OH. MY. GOSH! GUYS I JUST SAW THE COOLEST THING,” she squealed as her friend finally lost the fight with gravity and fell, taking her down with him in the process, not that she seemed to care. The girl just laid on the ground, her faded jean shorts and the brightly colored shirt she wore getting stained with grass and dirt. 

“Wh-wh-what the hell… What the hell was that, Mabel,” Morty swore, scrambling to his feet with a scowl. “Y--You can’t just go--go running and jumping on people like that,” he complained, turning to look at Dipper and then freezing in his track. “ARE Y--YOU FILMING US?” 

Dipper had yanked his phone out as soon as he caught a glimpse of the pink, yellow, and blue blur that was his sister. He hadn’t managed to catch her leaping onto Morty but he got the two of them fumbling around and screaming, which was still pretty funny. As the older teen turned on him, though he hastily stopped the recording and then grinned. 

“Uh… no,” he said, voice pitching upward at the end. Mabel popped up off the ground and pointed accusingly. 

“LIAR,” she accused, making her twin’s grin twitch before he just took off toward the mines. “GET HIM MORTY,” Mabel shouted, giggling as she rushed to her feet and started running. She was the first to catch up to her brother, running up behind him and slapping him hard on the back before veering off to the left. “TAG! You’re it!” 

For a moment, Dipper just stood there, stunned. 

“Mabel, that isn’t what this is even about! And we’re too old to play tag,” the boy laughed. Still, he turned and started chasing after his sister. Even Morty seemed to be getting into the spirit because when Dipper turned on him he laughed and scrambled in the opposite direction. 

With the trip to the mines momentarily derailed, they chased each other through the trees, laughter bouncing off them in a cheerful chorus. They were well off the trail by the time the game stopped and it only did because Mabel managed to run into something, or rather someone. The honor of being ‘it’ had passed between the three of them at least twice when Mabel, while being chased by Morty, slammed into a very tall, very familiar redhead. 

“Yo! Watch it,” Wendy snapped, turning and expecting to find one of her brothers, only to find Mabel laying on her back with Dipper in the background, laughing. The new kid with them looked a little terrified. A tree crashed behind her and for the first time Dipper noticed the buzz of chainsaws and thunks of axes as they cut through the air.“Oh! Hey dudes,” she laughed, pushing the blue and white pine-tree hat on her head back some. “Sorry I haven’t stopped by to see you yet! We’ve been kinda busy out here lately. Who’s the newbie?” 

“Wendy,” Mabel gasped, hauling herself up off the ground. and reaching up to grab at an exposed arm. “YOU’RE RIPPED,” The younger girl squealed, making the redhead bust out laughing. 

“Awe, I wouldn’t go that far! You make it sound like I look like my dad,” Wendy accused, wrinkling her nose at the mental image. Sure she’d put on a little muscle since she took up the axe alongside her family but she wasn’t near their size. “Lumberjacking is a great way to stay in shape though,” she joked, swinging the axe she’d been leaning on when Mabel collided with her and letting it fall on her shoulder. What are you guys doing out here?”

“We were going to see the mines, show Morty the Dinosaurs. Oh.. yea, by the way Morty, Wendy. Wendy, Morty. He and his grandpa are staying with Grunkle Stan and Ford, too,” he said, wincing as yet another tree fell, followed by raucous shouting. “I think a better question is what are you still doing out here? I thought you didn’t want to get too far into the whole lumberjack thing.” 

“Hey, Morty… and pfft. Totally not what’s happening… at least not really,” the girl sighed and then slumped a little. “Okay so I was planning on just taking a year off between highschool and college and I needed money so I decided ya know… coast along on the family biz for a while and then go to college and do… something?! Anyway I haven’t gotten to the whole getting out of this yet...Besides someone needs to make sure that these guys don’t kill themselves,” she said, craning her neck back and looking directly upward. Following her gaze, Dipper saw one of her brothers in the top of a tree. “Anyway… you guys should probably get out of here. It’s not really all that safe… Oh! But before you go,” she paused to grope around in her back pocket and pulled out a well-folded piece of paper. “Here! Tambry and Robbie have this thing going on tonight. You guys should come.” 

“Yoink,” Mabel chirped as she snatched the paper from Wendy’s hand. “Oh we’re totally going to be there,” she said excitedly as she unfolded the flyer. 

“We’ll think about it,” Dipper corrected, making his sister stick her tongue out at him. 

“We’re going,” she insisted with a punch to Dipper’s arm. “Come oooon! You’re always the one one taking me on adventures. It’s my turn! Besides it’ll be fuuuuun!” 

Dipper wrinkled his nose but finally relented with a sigh. 

“Fine, but dinosaurs first,” he teased, earning a series of enthusiastic jabs against his arm. Mabel’s unique brand of excitement always seemed to leave a mark. 

“Dinosaurs first,” she shouted, thrusting her fist into the air before spinning on her heel and taking back off into the woods with a laugh. She grabbed Morty’s hand as she darted past, dragging him with her. “See you tonight, Wendy,” she shouted, covering her friend’s stuttered goodbye with her volume. 

“What have you gotten me into, Wendy,”Dipper asked, not really liking the idea of going out that night. He wasn’t exactly the social butterfly his twin turned out to be. Parties were always more awkward than fun for him. The redhead just huffed and reached out to shove her hand up under his hat and ruffle his hair. 

“Don’t worry dude. Trust me, that shit’s gonna be tight,” she insisted before gently shoving the younger man away. “Now go make sure Mabel doesn’t get that kid lost!” 

Rolling his eyes, Dipper bid his friend goodbye and followed his sister’s shouts into the forest.

**Author's Note:**

> Who the fuck knows what's happened to Rick. He'll show back up at some point.


End file.
